Dick Vitale says LiAngelo Ball and UCLA teammates shouldn't play this season following shoplifting incident

By BRETT BODNER

|NEW YORK DAILY NEWS|

Dec 01, 2017 | 12:08 PM

Dick Vitale believes the suspended UCLA players should be forced to sit out all season, baby.

During Wednesday's broadcast of the North Carolina-Michigan game, Dicky V weighed in on what he thought the fate of UCLA freshmen LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill should be this season, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Advertisement

The three were indefinitely suspended after being arrested for shoplifting during a trip to China. They were held at a luxury hotel in the country before President Donald Trump asked for the players to be sent home to Los Angeles.

Vitale called what they did "embarrassing" and "humiliating" to represent their school in the way they did.

Dick Vitale said he thinks all three suspended UCLA players should be forced to sit out the entire college basketball season. (PAUL BATTAGLIA/AP)

"I'll personally tell you this: If they play again this year, those kids, I say shame on you, UCLA. I really mean it. Shame on you. I mean, there's no way in the world. Have them practice, do what they can, go to class, give them a year, but they have to learn from that," Vitale said. "You can't just say as their dad said, 'What is it, they just stole some sunglasses.' Are you kidding me? Are you serious, LaVar Ball? What kind of parental advice is that to young people? Don't get me started on that."

The long-time college basketball announcer tweeted Thursday that he was not alone in his belief that suspending the three for the full length of the season would teach them a lesson. Others like ESPN's Seth Greenberg have expressed the same idea that all three should sit the year out.

Cody Riley (l.), LiAngelo Ball (m.) and Jalen Hill (r.) have been indefinitely suspended after being arrested for shoplifting while on the Bruins’ trip to China. (Jae C. Hong/AP)

The incident also sparked a feud between Trump and LiAngelo's father, LaVar Ball. Ball said he wasn't sure if Trump played a significant role in getting his son released, but said Trump should stick to other matters.

Trump meanwhile lashed out on Twitter referring to Ball as an "ungrateful fool."